CELLINI'S GOLDEN MASTERWORK
"THE
KING ... gasped in
Amazement and could not
take his eyes off it," wrote
Benvenuto Cellini, recalling
the reaction of Francis I of
France in 1543, when he first
saw this celebrated saltcellar
(left). The Italian sculptor's
work, here about actual size,
is among the highest expres
sions of the goldsmith's art.
Ceres and Neptune, deities
of earth and sea, crown the
cellar, reflecting the Renais
sance fascination with figures
from Greek myth. An Ionic
temple, foreground, holds pep
per, while an image of a boat
on the opposite side is for salt.
Figures clustered around the
gods reveal the artist's supreme
skill with his delicate chisel
notably evident in the expres
sive face (right) adorning the
stern of the salt boat. Four
"sea horses"-half equine, half
fish-support Neptune; two
(above) exchange nips. A dog
peers from beside Ceres' leg
(right, center), while on the
ebony base a nude female of
gold, depicting nighttime, dozes
beside musical instruments.